Starting and stopping mechanism



1934- F. c. EASTMAN 1,969,838

STARTING AND STOPPING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 20, 1930 Patented Aug. 14,1934,

, STARTING AND STOPPING MECHANISM Fred C. Eastman, Beverly, Mass,assignor to United SheeMachinei-y Corporation, Paterson N. J., a,corporation of New Jersey 7 Application February 20, 1930, Serial No.430,049

' .20 Claims. (01.192-148) This invention relates to starting andstopping mechanisms and is illustrated herein as embodied in a mechanismdeveloped for use in afastening inserting machine of the type shown in'copend-- 5 ing application'Serial No. 139,071, filed Feb. 20, .1930, inthe name of Fred N. LaChapelle and Fred C. Eastman, and since issued asLetters Patent No. 1,918,274, dated July 18, 19 33.

It is an objectiof the invention toprovide an improved clutch of therotating key type which is suitable for use in machines of this generaltype and which can be, used also in machines of other types.

.With the above object in view, a feature of the invention consists ofmechanism adapted to rotate the key, in a clutch of the rotating keytype, into clutch engaging position, which mechanism, after movement ofa controlling member, is driven by power from a moving member. Thismember is driven while the clutch is disengaged and it may be drivencontinuously. For example and as herein illustrated, it isdriven bymovement of a continuously rotating part of the clutch, i. e., by thedriving member of the clutch. The 'key is rotated to engage teeth on thedriving member and, because this member itself also causes the rotationof the key,the key is rotated in timed relation to the movement of theteeth.

Another feature of the invention consists, in -aclutch having powerdriven or operated means for rotating the key into clutch engagingposition', of power driven or operated means for throwing the key intodisengaged position, the power for thispurpose being supplied preferablyby the bodily movement of the key as itis carried, with its associatedparts, around with the driving shaft. I

A further feature of the invention consists, in combination with aclutch of the above type, of means for adjusting the position of thepart that operates to throw the clutch out of engagement so tha'tit willoperate .at the proper time in the cycle of the machine driven thereby,to allow it to drift to a stop atthe comple'tion of a single revolution.

Another feature consists, in a clutch having a power operated member forrotating "a' clutch key into clutch engaging position and means fordisengaging it, of a controlling member for .rendering the poweroperated means effective, saidcontrolling member being constructed andarranged to prevent re-engagement of the clutch until after thecontrolling member has .been

The head mayrbe counterbalanced by aspring 14 which tends normally tolift the head away from "the work or it may be counterbalanced byasuitmoved to neutral position and repositioned. in starting position. IAnother feature of the invention consists in a novel arrangement ofparts for rotating the key comprising a longitudinally yielding plung-6Q er located in a bore in the key, a radial arm on the plunger by whichthe .key maybe rotated and means, preferably power operated, by whichthe arm .maybe turned to bring the key into clutch engaging position. Afurther feature consists, in the-combination with an arm for rotating,the,.key into clutch engagingposition, of another-arm, connected to thekey, by which the keymay be rotated to disengaged position when thesecond arm is acted upon, duringrotation .of the clutch, .by a fixedmember. s j

The features of the invention outlined above, as well as the'furtherfeatures hereinafterdescribed and claimed,'will be understood when theyvare considered in connection with the ac- .compa'nying drawing, inwhich, I

Fig.1 is a side elevation, partly in section,

showing the head of 1a,,fastening inserting machine of the typeshown inthe copending application referred to and illustrates featuresof theclutch mechanism of the present invention;

of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line IVIV of Fig. 2 and looking in thedirection of the arrows.

The mechanism of the fastening inserting ma- .chine is mounted uponaswingingframe or head 10, which ispivotally mounted on the shaft 12.

able distribution of weight'therein. A hand lever 16 is fixedly mountedona shaft 18 pivoted in the head of the machine. A torsion spring 19,.100

.on' the shaft 18, tends to lift the-hand lever 16.

The handlever 16 is used to swing the head into operative relation withthe work 20 which, as

illustrated, comprises .a shoe,.the forward portion of which issupportedby a toe rest 22, mounted in 1 05 .a suitable holder 24, supported bythe base of l ative position.

without, in the meantime, operating the clutch controlling mechanismwhich is also controlled by the same hand lever 16. I

The shaft 18 also carries another lever 26 fixedly mounted thereon, andthis lever 26 is connected by means of aconnecting rod 28 to anotherlever 30. The lever 30 performs three functions, i. e., it serves tolock the head in Work operating position, it is a portion of a safetymechanism by which operation of the clutch is prevented until the headis in operative position, and it carriesa controlling member 32,pivotallymounted thereon, by which the clutch is started to operate thefastening inserting mechanism/4111c other portion of the safetymechanismreferredtoconsists of a fixed cam 34 having a face 36concentric with the shaft 12 and a ,radial face 38. As the head 10' ofthe machine is brought forward by the forward and downward pressure ofthe handle 16, the endof the lever 30 rides upo the concentric cam face36 which maintains the controlling member 32 out ofengagement with theclutch. The cam face136 also acts as an abutment. to prevent the handlefro'm movingrelative to the head 10, so that the handle is effective tobring the head intooperative position. When the head reaches {operativeposition, the end of the lever 30 drops off the concentricfface 36 ofthe cam and reaches a position'of clearance just in front of the radialface38.

The clutch is then: engaged and the machine istart'ed'in amannerhereinafter to be described ,(in. the direction indicated by thearrows in the various figures) 'andthelev'er 30 is then given'a slightdownward motion to takeup the clearance between its lower end and theradial face 38 and to furnish pressure to clamp the head 10 in 0per-This movement and clamping pressure isobtained because the lever 30ispivotally mountedupon a stud 39,,on a cam lever 40 "which lever ispivoted at41 on the head 10 of the machine, The cam lever'40carriesa'cam roll :42 which engages a cam 44 driven by the machine and shown indotted linesin Fig. 1. A rise'in the cam 44 lifts'the cam roll 42 on thelever 40 and causes a depression and downward pressure of the upperendof the leverAO upon which the .Ilever 30 is mounted. The;upper arm ofthe lever 40 and the lower, arm .of' the lever .30. may be considered asa toggle having its upper endpivot at I 41-, its middle pivot at 39andits lower end pivot or abutment onthe'radial face 38-of the fixed cam34. As the pivot 39 moves down, it tends to forcev the pivot 41 awayfrom thefixed'abutment or face 38, causing a tendency for the pivot 41to move in a clockwise direction, in Fig. 1,-about the shaftul2. As thepivot 41 is mounted in the head 10, the head also has a like tendency tomove which causes its outer end, carrying the fastening insertingmechanism, to move about'the shaft 12 I to clamp the work. The lever 40has hereinbefo're beenconsidered as a single lever but it is actuallymade of two parts, which may be adjusted relatively'to each other bymeans of an adjusting screw 46 so that'the clamping pressure may-beadjusted by suitably adjusting this screw,

7 As the end of the lever 30 drops offthe concentric portion 36'of thecamias previously described) the downward movement of theconjtrollingmember 32, mounted thereon, operates to engage the, clutchand start the machine to cause movement of the cam 44 and the operation50f the fasteninginserting mechanism. The engage'me'nt of' the clutchis" effected, in a manner key 66 to rotate also.

will now be described. The machine is operated from a continuouslydriven gear 56 mounted to turn freely on the shaft 12. This gear isdriven by apinion 58 arranged to turn with the driving pulley 60 ofthemachine. Upon the gear 56 is mounted the driving member 62 of theclutchf The driving member 62 is provided with teeth 64 by which itdrives, through the action of a rotat- I able key 66, the driven member68 of the clutch,

which driven member is keyed to the shaft 12 by which the machine isdriven The rotatable key 66 is mounted and arranged to rotate in acylin-'drical aperture in the driven member 68, the axis of the aperture beingparallel with the axis of the shaft 12; The key -66 is provided with alongitudinal bore in which is positioned a longitudinally yieldingplunger '70 having a radial arm '72. As the plunger is moved in thebore, the arm '22 slides inayslot '74 in the rotatable key 66 and whenthe arm '72 and plunger' are caused to rotate, such rotation of thearm'72 causes the The plunger is normally yieldingly positioned to theright in Fig. 2 by means of a compression spring '76 lying in anenlarged portion 78 of the longitudinal bore in the key. This spring 76bears, at one end, against the end of the enlarged portion of the boreand, at

the other end, on a collar 80 pinned to the outer end of the plunger.Another means for rotating the key 66 is provided, which consists of anarm or lever 82, shown as integral with therotatable ,key 66 andprovided at its outer end with'an offset cylindricalportion 84;

f" In order to cause engagement of the clutch, the arm 30 is moved asabove-described,- by downward movement of the handle :16 after thefastening inserting mechanism has'b'een properly positioned, tocarry thecontrolling membe'r32 toward the shaft 12. This movement causes thebeveled portion48-of the arm to engage the collar 80 and continuedmotion of the controlling member causes the yieldingplunger 70 and itsarm '72 to move to the left in Fig. 2 until the'arm 72 is broughtintothe path of movement of a series of short pins 86 secured in andextending from the driving member 62. When one of these moving pinsstrikes the arm '72, the arm is rotated by the pin and this rotation ofthe arm rotates the key I 66-, through its contact with the side oftheslot 74,

to operate the clutch, will not strike the .arm '72 until, the precedingtooth 64a has cleared, the segment 88. After it has so cleared, the pin86a strikes the arm '72, causing it gradually torotate as the member 62is rotating until, by the time the tooth 64b is about to strike thesegment 88, the key has rotated to bring this segment into fullbearingcontact withthe tooth 64b. The driven :memberz'68 .of 'theclutch'is now engaged'with the rivingImember'GZ (through the rotatingkeyfifi) and theclutch is started causing the collar 80 to .pass .outcit-contact with the controlling member 32. The arm' 72 then moves clearof the pin 86 with-which ithasbeenengaged, and is then out of the pathof movement of all such pins because of the action ofthe spring 'lfigbutthe rotatable key 66 still remains in clutch-engaging position, due tothe pressure of the'tooth 64b thereon and ito .-the fact that thereis'no force tending to -move it. In order to disconnect the clutch justbefore a acompleterevolution has been made so that the machine willdrift to stopping position at'theend or one':revolution,-anadjustablestop cam 90 loeated upon a circuinferentially adjustable bush- "ing "92is provided. Thebushing' 92,-after-being "adjusted-to cause the stop cam90 to operate at the desired point, is clamped in adjusted position byac'lamp screwj'94. shown in -Fig. 4, the cylindrical portion 84 of thearm 82 of the rotat- -able key 65 strikes the stop cam 90 and rotates"'the'key 66 gradually into non-engaging position '2 so that the teeth64: of the driving member will pass beneath the segment 88. Therotatable key is maintained in this position by the friction of the arm'72 against the face of the driven member 68,-the friction'beingproduced by the spring "76. The drift of the machine carries thecylindrical projection 84 sufiiciently beyond the stop cam -90 so thatthe key'may be rotated for the next revolution when the arm "72 is againpositioned in the path of the pins 86.

As the machine is stopping, the collar 80 is in the path of thecontrolling member 32 and this member is, pivotally mounted on the lever30 so that it swings as the collar 80 strikes its side, and the clutch,therefore, cannot be reengaged until after the lever 30; is lifted tonormal or neutral position to bring the controlling member 32 out ofcontact with the collar 80, after which the controlling member 32 swingsback by gravity into its normal position relatively to the lever 30, asshown in Fig. I. This normal position is determined by a stop pin 96 onthe controlling member 32, which pin comes in contact with a stop pin 98positioned in the lever 30. The above mentioned lifting of the lever 30takes place after -54) the cam 42 has relieved the pressure of the lever30 on the radial cam surface 38. When this pressure is relieved and thehand lever 16 is released, the torsion spring 19, acting through theshaft 18, the lever 26 and connection 28, lifts the lever 30 free fromthe cam 34.- and the head 10 is then returned to inoperative position bythe counterbalancing spring 14.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the ,60 United States is:

1. A starting and stopping mechanism having, in combination, a drivingmember, a driven member, a rotatable key, means by which the key may berotated, and means on the driving member for .65 causing saidfirst-mentioned means to rotate the key into clutch engaging position.

2. A starting and stopping mechanism having, in combination, a drivingmember, a driven member, a rotatable key, means by which the key may berotated, means on the driving member for causing said first-mentionedmeans to rotate the key into clutch engaging position, and means to movethe key into disengaged position.

3. A starting and stopping mechanism having,

in combination, a driving member, a driven member, a rotatable key,meansby which the'key may be rotated, m'eans on'fth'e ldriving m'e'mb'erfor causing 'said 'first-meritionedmeans torotate the key into clutchiengaging position,"-'an adjustable member to move thel'ke'y'intodisengagdposition, P

and means for securing :said: adjustable member in 'fixed-position'.to::efi'ect disengagernent ataipredetermined point in -therevolution-2 of the driven .Jmember.

4. A: starting .and' stopping mechanism having -in combination, adriv'ingm'ember, a driven member, a rotatable key, a'-plurality ofarm'sbywhich 'the key mayberotated; a projection on thefdri'ving *m'ember forengaging oneof said'arms androtating the key in'to clutch engagingipositionan'd'a fiite'd member for engaging another of said armsincombinatiom a driving'memben a' driven mem- ..be'r,-a rotatable key inthe driven member, an arm by whichthe'keymay'be rotated, means formoving the 'armlongitudinally'of thekey,-'means on the drivingmember'forengaging the'arm and rotating the-key into'clutch' engagingposition upen a longitudinal movement of the "arm, and-afixedm'ember tomove the key into disengagedposi- 'tion at a definite-point inltherevolution of the driven member.-

"7. In a clutch mechanism, a driving clutch member, a driven clutchmemberya clutch'ke'y rotatable to form-a positive connection betweensaid members and power drivenmeanszfor ro-v tating the key into clutchengaging position.

8. In a clutch mechanism, a driving clutch member, a driven clutchmember, a clutch key rotatable to form a positive connection betweensaid members, power driven means for rotating the key into clutchengaging position and power driven means for rotating the key intodisengaged position.

9. In a clutch mechanism, a driving clutch 435 member, a driven clutchmember, a clutch key rotatable to form a positive connection betweensaid members, means extending radially from the key, and power drivenmeans constructed and arranged to contact with said first-mentioned;means and rotate the key into clutch engaging position.

10. A rotatable clutch key having a longitudinal bore, a longitudinallyyielding plunger in said bore, and a radial arm connected to saidplunger r 35 by which the key may be rotated.

11. In a clutch mechanism, a rotatable clutch key having a longitudinalbore, a longitudinal yielding plunger in said bore, a radial armconnected to said plunger, and power operated means 1 40 for moving saidarm to rotate the key.

12. In a clutch mechanism, a. rotatable clutch key having a longitudinalbore, a longitudinally yielding plunger in said bore, a radial armconnected to said plunger, a manually operated controlling member formoving the plunger with its arm longitudinally, and power operated meansfor moving said arm to rotate the key into clutch engaging positionafter longitudinal movement of 3150 the plunger has brought the arm intothe path of movement of said power operated means. i

13. In a clutch mechanism, arotatable clutch key, power operated meansfor rotating thekey 2, 5 into clutch engaging position, a controllingmember for rendering thepower operatedmeans ef- -fective to rotate thekey into clutch engaging position, and. means for disengaging ,theclutch, said controlling member being constructed and arranged toprevent re-engagement of the clutch until after it haslbeen moved :toneutral position and repositioned in starting position.

14., In a'clutch mechanism, a rotatable clutch key havingza longitudinalbore, a longitudinally yielding plunger in said bore, a radial armconnected to said plunger; a controlling member for moving the plungerwith its arm longitudinally, power operated means for moving said arm torotate the key into clutch engaging position after longitudinal movementof the, plunger has brought'the arm into the path of,movement of saidpower means, and apivotal mounting for said controlling member whereby,after -it has "been operated and the clutch started, it will beinoperative to move the plunger until said member is returned to neutralposition and then reposi- .tioned to move the plunger. 7 V

15. .In a clutchmechanism, a driving clutch member, a driven clutchmember, a clutchkey rotatable to form a positive connection between saidmembers, continuously moving means, and means .for connecting thecontinuously moving means with the key, to rotate the key into clutchengaging position.

1 '16. In a clutehmechanism, a driving clutch .member, a driven clutchmember, a clutch key rotatable to form a positive connection between.said members, a member moving while the clutch is disengaged, andmechanismior causing said member to move the clutch key into clutchengaging position. 1 F I v positionand then to disconnect the same with"into disengaging position.

said tooth for rotating the key in timed relation .to the movement ofsaid tooth for the purpose 17. Ina clutch mechanism, a rotatable clutchkey, a member moving while the clutch is disengaged, means forconnecting said member with the key to rotate the key into clutchengaging the key in said position, and means to rotate the key intodisengaging position.

18. In a clutch mechanism, a rotatable clutch key, a member movingwhilethe clutch is disengaged, means for connecting said member with the keyto rotate the key into clutch engaging position and then to disconnectthe same with the key in said position, and stationary means actingwhile the clutch is engaged, to rotate the key '19. In a clutchmechanism, a driving clutch member having a tooth, a driven clutchmember,

a clutch key mounted in the driven clutch member and rotatable to form apositive driving connection with said tooth, a member movable. with offorming said driving connection, and means for temporarily connectingthe key and the lastmentioned member to rotate the key for said purposeby the power of the driving clutch member.

20. In a clutch mechanism, a continuously ro- ..tating driving clutchmember having a plurality 'of teeth, a driven clutch member, a clutchkey mounted in the driven clutch member and rotatable to form a positivedriving connection with any one of said teeth, a plurality of memberseach angularly spaced equally from a corresponding tooth and movabletherewith for rotating said key in timed relation to the rotation ofsaid teeth for the purpose of forming said driving conno nection, andmeans for temporarily connecting the key and any one of thelast-mentioned members to rotate the key for said purpose bythe power ofthe driving clutch member. I I

- FREDC. EASTMAN.

